1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to games in the fields of education and entertainment, and in particular to a character revealing game based on the ternary (base 3) number system.
More specifically, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a two-person character revealing game wherein characters are arranged on a main game piece in accordance with characteristics of the ternary number system such that one player can ascertain a particular character secretly selected by the other player simply by knowing the color or colors in which the secretly selected character appears on the main game piece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many character revealing game devices have been developed wherein one player will secretly select a character from a set of characters and another player ascertains the selected character in accordance with certain information acquired via inquiry permissible under the rules of the game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,457 to Lon-Jeng discloses such a learning device for children wherein a particular character is secretly selected by a teacher from a series of cards on which a plurality of characters are printed. Upon learning via inquiry on which particular cards the selected character appears, a student places masks over a main card on which all characters from each of the cards are printed. After appropriate placement of masks corresponding to each card upon which the selected character appears, only the selected character will be displayed on the main card, all other characters on the main card will have been covered by the masks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,456 to Vann likewise discloses a mathematical game apparatus wherein a secretly selected number is revealed by the strategic placement of masks over numbered cards to obscure certain numbers and reveal others. Appropriate masking in accordance with certain information will reveal only the selected number. Such game devices, however, do not permit a student to visually observe any mathematical operations and thus are lacking in didactic value. Furthermore, these game devices require several number or character cards and a corresponding number of masks, and are thus cumbersome to own and difficult to learn to play.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,812,123 (House), 2,514,633 (Glaze), 2,899,757 (Webb), and 3,204,343 (Pollock) disclose visual arithmetic teaching devices wherein physical elements of differing lengths corresponding to magnitudes of particular numbers are stacked or otherwise aligned in an end-to-end manner so that the total height or length of the stacked or aligned elements, which represents the arithmetic sum of numbers having magnitudes corresponding to the lengths of each of the individual physical elements, will reach a level along a calibrated measuring scale indicating the correct sum.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,872,610 (Dumovich), 4,633,070 (Merkh), and 3,332,156 (Reeves) disclose mathematical teaching devices wherein numbers represented in one base number system are converted to corresponding numbers in another base number system. Such visual arithmetic teaching devices and numerical base conversion devices, while valuable as didactic aids, would not greatly appeal to young children since they are not in any way recreational in nature.
A game device which is both didactic and recreational in nature is therefore desirable. Such a game will greatly appeal to children due to its recreational nature, and children will benefit through visualizing basic arithmetic operations and through mentally engaging in the process of character recognition while playing the game.